29 Weeks

September 6, 2014September 6, 2014 nk3302 Comments

29 weeks and Baby Kiel is as long as 6 lemon cucumbers. In other words… 15.25″ long and 2.75 lbs! Yes, I am running out of ideas for these pictures, haha. But then I looked at the kitchen table and saw this:

The garden has been giving us LOTS of zucchini and cucumbers… so that was my inspiration! Now… any good recipes or uses for a lot of cucumbers?

How far along: 29 weeks

Gender: We don’t know. 🙂
But I’ve had my first dreams about the baby (finally!). My first dream was of an ultrasound that clearly showed a baby boy. But then a couple of days later, I was changing the diaper of my baby girl. So that was no help.

Weight gain: 13 lbs
Symptoms: Back aches… owww…

Maternity clothes: Yes

Stretch marks: Not yet

Belly button in or out: Still in!

Sleep: A little more tossing and turning lately. I’ve been feeling warmer at night, plus switching sides is becoming more of a process.

Best moment this week: A SURPRISE baby shower! I knew there was talk of a shower being planned by the girls I work with, but no one ever asked me about a date or anything. Andrew and I went on a completely normal weekend errand, so nothing suspicious there. But as we approached our house on the way back, I saw cars parked on the road… and then more in the driveway. Andrew sent me to the backyard to check things out (I probably looked really nervous), and there was a cute nautical-themed shower set up!

It was small, but it was nice that I got to talk to and hang out with everyone all at once. I got some nice gifts, and I loved seeing people from work! Plus the weather cooperated and we didn’t get rained on. 🙂

There were so many cute little details:
It was so sweet of everyone to come and celebrate Baby Kiel!

Miss anything: Not having back pain. I feel like I need to change positions fairly often to help relieve the ache in my lower back. This is good (I guess) though… it keeps me moving and changing activities throughout the day.

Movement: All the time! Especially when I’m trying to fall asleep at night.

Cravings: Nothing really

Looking forward to: Fall! I have some cute maternity clothes I’m ready to break out! 🙂

Baby Kiel at 29 weeks:

Baby Update

28 Weeks

August 30, 2014February 26, 2015 nk3304 Comments

Week 28 and Baby Kiel is the length of this salt grinder! He or she is now 15″ long and weighs 2.5 lbs. Sometimes I just can’t get over how big our little one is getting…

I’m counting this as the first week of the 3rd trimester, although this seems to be debatable! My pregnancy app breaks the 40 weeks down precisely and stated that I entered the 3rd trimester towards the end of Week 26. My “Belly Book” said my 3rd trimester started at week 25. But for some reason, most people seem to go with week 28 as the start of the 3rd trimester… who knows!

We had an appointment on Tuesday, and everything continues to be normal for me and Baby Kiel. We found out that my glucose test went fine: no gestational diabetes for me! I guess I have some baking in my future now, haha. I laugh, but I’m not kidding. 🙂 Baby’s heartbeat was 145 bpm, and apparently mine is quite strong too. The doctor kept picking up mine instead of the baby’s! My fundal height (size of my uterus) was 30cm, which is still in the normal range. 28 cm (+/- 2 cm) is considered “normal” for 28 weeks. The topic of the appointment/class was birth control, which Andrew & I really haven’t discussed yet. I was surprised by the number of people in our class who had gotten pregnant while on a form of birth control or quite soon after their previous child was born. So I guess we need to figure out what our plan will be before November rolls around.

How far along: 28 weeks

Gender: Nobody knows 🙂

Weight gain: 12 lbs
Symptoms: Back aches & fatigue, as usual. And some heartburn again, ugh. I’m thankful I never had heartburn before this, because it’s really unpleasant! I have some Braxton-Hicks contractions once in awhile, but they don’t really bother me.

Maternity clothes: Always, except for bedtime. I’m testing how far I can stretch my t-shirts from high school & college, haha.

Stretch marks: Not yet

Belly button in or out: Still in!

Sleep: Pretty good as long as I only stay in bed for 7-8 hours. After that my hips start to hurt a lot. I’ve been waking up at almost exactly 2am most mornings to use the bathroom. The getting up to pee isn’t unusual, but I think it’s odd that it’s almost always the same time!

Best moment this week: My last day of work! As much as I looked forward to it, I must have been in some kind of denial or something. I kept talking about future events as if I was going to be there for them. And I told people they weren’t allowed to say good-bye or anything. Just pretend I’m going on vacation for awhile or something. 🙂 I feel really blessed to have enjoyed my job as much as I did, and I know I will really miss the kids and co-workers. I’m glad I still have time to go back and visit!

Miss anything: The energy to make dinner. I get up at 4:30ish each morning, work until 3:15 in the afternoon, and then I usually have to wait for Andrew until at least 5pm. By the time we get home, I really just want to go to bed. And when I am making dinner? My back ends up hurting, so I feel like I have to take breaks and go sit down for a bit. It just frustrates me that I can’t just power through it like I used to. I don’t like admitting defeat!

Movement: All the time! I did my first “kick count” on Wednesday. I was supposed to feel 10 kicks or movement of some kind within 2 hours. I felt 10 kicks in 10 minutes! I hope we don’t have a hyperactive baby coming our way…

Cravings: Baked goods, although not as strong as it was. I feel like my appetite has decreased a little bit.

Looking forward to: Sleeping more! I know I’ve been sleep-deprived, and I know it’s not good for me.

Baby Kiel at 28 weeks:

Baby Update

27 Weeks

August 22, 2014February 26, 2015 nk3302 Comments

Week 27 and Baby Kiel is the length of my laptop! He or she is now 14.5″ long and weighs 2.25 lbs.

How far along: 27 weeks

Gender: The mystery continues

Weight gain: 11 lbs
Symptoms: Back aches & fatigue, as usual. The rib pain has not been as bad this week for some reason, so that’s a plus! I’ve also managed to get a urinary tract infection. They’re more common in pregnant women and can be due to the uterus putting pressure on the bladder. So now I am on some antibiotics to get rid of it.

Maternity clothes: Most definitely

Stretch marks: No

Belly button in or out: Still in, but getting more shallow 😦

Sleep: Pretty good as long as I only stay in bed for 7-8 hours. After that my hips start to hurt a lot.

Best moment this week: Celebrating Andrew’s 27th birthday! His birthday was on Monday but most of the celebrating was done the weekend before. We had some of his friends over for a BBQ on Saturday, and it was a lot of fun!

The birthday boy blowing out the candles on his birthday cheesecake!

Andrew enjoying cigars and whisky with friends around the fire.

Andrew made his grandma’s cucumber dip, and that totally made my day. I could have sat with a bowl of that and just been a happy little pregnant person! Andrew’s pork shoulders sat on the grill for 12+ hours and made some delicious sandwiches — everyone loved them! We also made some mac & cheese and German potato salad, and some of our friends brought over coleslaw, chips and dip, and a cake. My lemon cheesecake turned out beautifully (if I do say so myself), and everyone seemed to really enjoy it. The weather wasn’t exactly “summery,” which was surprising for mid-August, but we stayed cozy by the fire after the sun went down. Happy birthday, Andrew, I love you!
Miss anything: Bending over — wearing flats and flip-flops exclusively may be in my future soon.
Movement: All the time — this little one can’t seem to sit still! Baby Kiel is still definitely favoring my right side, too. I don’t know if it’s cozier over there or what, but you can see the difference when I’m laying down: my little lopsided belly!
Cravings: Chocolate… I caved and bought some chocolate Snack Pack pudding cups and a box of triple chunk brownie mix at the commissary. It’s so strange for me to have chocolate cravings!
Looking forward to: My last day of work. I have been SO tired this week.

Baby Kiel at 27 weeks: